The Vagabond
by DuckonMooseEh
Summary: A new guy comes to town... and immediately realizes its not a normal city. Please read, I suck at reviews.
1. Default Chapter

Ok, for this story, I want to point out a couple things. First, people say that most people now think only about themselves. Second, people say Chivalry is dead.

I agree with both of these to a certain extent. Most people do think mostly of themselves, and in many ways chivalry is dead. But there is still a tiny amount of it, and I am lucky enough to know people who follow it. They're willing to help anyone with no thought of reward or gain. I feel honored to have friends like that.

Anyways, that said, I'm going into my story, which is kinda a tip of the hat to them.

Also, the main character isn't particularly educated… Once you see his history, you'll understand why. I'm trying to write it the way he would if he were real. Just a vagabond telling a story.

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I was knew to this town… and when I say new, I mean it. I had arrived on a train less than twenty minutes before well… before my life was changed forever.

I hadn't ever heard of this little town. I had no reason to believe that there might be something strange about it. At first glance, it seemed just like any number of other towns that I've been to. The citizens were friendly, to an extent. They all seemed… on edge, though. Like something unexpected could happen anytime. I think that this is what really caught my attention about this place. That feeling of the unexpected, the unreal, about to become complete truth.

I suppose first I should tell you what I'm doing here. Well, long story short, I'm a bit of a vagabond. No home, no family. They were all killed a long time ago… I don't even remember them now. I don't need a family. They'd just hold me back.

I'm sixteen now. Just turned it a month or so ago. To be perfectly honest, I've forgotten my exact birthdate. Its not important anymore.

I'm due for a shave, and a haircut… and overdue for a shower, most likely. But when you've been wandering alone for the better part of ten years, these kinds of things don't really bother you much. The people on the train didn't mention anything, so I must not smell that bad yet. Or maybe they were holding their breaths… oh well, it doesn't matter.

As I've said, I'm due for a haircut. My hair is always in my eyes. I think its blonde, but it may be closer to a brown… it really depends on how much of the dark color in it is dirt or natural color, you know? Probably not… I doubt you live like I have.

My few possessions are carried in a green backpack. Its covered with patches from some of the places I've been… nowhere near all of them, but enough that you can tell I travel frequently.

Anyways, I have a knife, basic survival gear, and a locket that I think belonged to my mother at some time. It looks really old. It is shaped like a triangle, and in each of the corners is inscribed a letter. The top is an A, the bottom left is a M, and the bottom right is a Z. I don't know what they mean. The locket could be some old family heirloom, or it could be some from antique store. All I know is it is the last connection to my past.

Well, that's pretty much everything that you need to know… and in some cases probably more than you wanted to know. So my manners aren't great, and I don't know what I shouldn't tell a stranger, big deal. I rarely get the chance to talk to people. The solitude of the open road is usually my only companion.

So… I was walking down Ocean Street, which is, I guess, the main road of this new town I'd found. About midway through town is a pizza shack. I stopped there for a bite, scrounging through the garbage mostly; I've learned to not be picky when it comes to food.

As I was saying, I ate in peace, and one fellow even gave me a piece of sausage pizza. It was fresh, the cheese still bubbling. I remember wishing that I could repay him somehow.

Afterwards, I walked down the street, looking for something to do, or some place to stay. A nice alley somewhere. Maybe one close to the pizza shack. There seemed to be some good food there.

I remember walking past a bank. It looked like many of the others I had seen… until I saw that madman running out. He looked like some magician from one of those really old TV shows or something. You know the ones I mean, right? A big hat, pretty crazy, and a cape? Anyways, that's about as good as I could describe him. Because as he ran, he said some funny words and things began disappearing. I mean literally. They just vanished.

I was standing directly in his path, and he looked at me, a smirk stretching beneath his long nose. He said another of those weird words, or started to. I turned and high-tailed it. The car I hid behind disappeared, and I ran to other bits of cover. I could hear the freak laughing like it was some sort of game for him.

Then he was quiet, though… well, not really. I heard a grunt, and saw him skid quite a distance. A kid, about my age, stood close to where the magician had been. He was wearing some weird clothes. A cape, some sort of spandex costume or something, with an R on it. It made me think of Halloween.

Before I knew what was happening, there were more of them. Four others ran out and stood behind him and his odd red and green suit. I looked at his face, but couldn't tell what he was thinking. He was wearing a mask.

As for the others, one was wearing some sorta purple skirt or something, with a top that matched. She had some gloves and big boots, too.

The other girl was wearing a black thing. It looked like a one piece swimsuit with long sleeves. She had a blue cloak over it with a hood up. What caught my attention with these two was they were both about a foot and a half off the ground.

There was also a guy with blue shoulders and stuff… He was some kinda robot. This town was getting freakier and freakier.

And the final guy… well, he was green. I mean literally, he was green. Green skin, green hair. And as I watched, he turned into a green bear. At that point I decided to never again eat pizza from a trashcan.

Then came the kick. The first guy, who I guess was their leader, made a comment to the magician, who had gotten up as I was examining the new people. I can't remember exactly what it was; something like "Looks like the curtain is closing early on your act." And I thought something like "Wow… that was one of the lamest, yet oddly entertaining, joke I have ever heard."

Of course the guy replied, but I have no clue what he said. Oh yeah, I forgot. All the freaks behind R-boy appeared to be teens… although they were obviously not normal in any way.

They started fighting, then. I did as the other citizens that were nearby did… cower behind a car. What else was I supposed to do?

The madman turned R into a pot of flowers… or I think he did. The girl with the purple clothes was knocked out somehow in the course of the battle, and robot-boy and the green animal kid I have no clue about. I just remember seeing the flowers, the unconscious girl, the cloaked girl, and the magician in the middle of the street.

They exchanged some verbal jabs, then the girl moved in for an attack. He shot something out of a wand he seemed to pull from thin air, hitting her square in the chest. She fell hard, and lay very still.

"Now I'll deal with you," he said. I may be paraphrasing… He could've said it in some bad joke form… I heard lots of bad jokes that day.

He approached the girl, wand raised. I looked in amazement at the other civilians. They just watched calmly. None moved to help. And so I did the only thing I could think of.

I grabbed a large limb that had been knocked from a nearby tree and charged the magician, smacking him hard in the back with it. I was lucky that he didn't see me… I was always lucky.

The girl looked up at me, her eyes glazed. I grabbed her and ran before the stunned fruit with the big hat could put a hex on us.

Where I ran, I'm not sure. I remember we were in a deserted side-street when the girl spoke for the first time. Actually, she didn't speak. She kneed me in the chest (I was carrying her over my shoulder), and I fell to the ground. Then she just stared at me.

"Ow," I finally managed. I looked up at her, and saw that she was angry… or something. I'm guessing she was mad, because she spoke to me like I was the scum of the earth.

"What do you think you were doing?" she demanded of me. I gasped a few deep breaths, feeling an aching in my chest. I was gonna have a bruise from that, I knew it.

"I was trying to help, is that wrong?"

"You think I need the help of a stupid kid like you? Don't you know who I am?"

This made me mad. I don't take insults well.

"First off, I'm guessing we're about the same age," she snorted here, "And second, I don't know who the hell you or the rest of those freaks were."

She looked at me with an amazed kind of smirk on her face, "You're joking, right?"

"Nope. No clue. I just got in a couple minutes ago."

She glared at my uncaring tone. Apparently I was supposed to be intimidated. After a moment black flames curled up around her, and she began hovering again.

"Well, I'm Raven. I'm the daughter of a demon, and a member of the Teen Titans."

I couldn't resist… it was too much of an opportunity to miss. Despite the fact that I'm very peaceful and try to be a good person, I can't miss a good burn, "Oh, that's so cute… do you do kids parties, too?"

I wasn't afraid of her at all… at least not till I saw she had four red eyes, was twenty feet tall, and had tentacles coming out from under her cloak. That scared me a bit… as in "I almost just lost control of my excratory systems" scared. That's fancy talk for "she scared the crap out of me."

A loud growl echoed down the street… and oddly, into my brain, almost like she was speaking (growling, in this case) directly into my mind.

After a moment, she shrank back to normal, her eyes once more the strange violet orbs I had seen earlier. I looked at her for a moment, not feeling afraid anymore, just… amazed. And so I did the only thing I could think of. I bowed.

"What are you doing?" she asked me.

"Well, its obvious that you are indeed worthy of quite a bit of respect," I started, "it was rude of me to speak to you like that. And I'm apologizing."

She looked at me in confusion, and then nodded, "Alright, I forgive you… this time. You know who I am, now who're you?"

I felt the heat rise in my face. I hated when people asked me that… because it ultimately led to my history.

"My names Jimmy… Jim if you want, I don't really care."

"And?" she queried after a couple seconds passed (ha… I may be a vagabond, but I still have a decent vocabulary).

I sighed, "Well, I don't know where I came from… and I don't have any family. I just wander around, and I'll end up wherever the road decides I've gone far enough."

There was a uncomfortable silence, "You're a wanderer with no home or family?"

"Nope."

"Well, that explains your smell and looks, at least."

I gave another bow in acknowledgment of the burn. It was a decent one, but nowhere near some that I had heard.

"And what's the reason for yours?"

She ignored me. Actually, she seemed to be looking for something. After a moment, she pulled a small yellow circle from her pocket. It looked kind of like a circular handheld computer or something, but with an antennae. There was a T on the top. She flipped it open and hit a button. Moments later she was speaking to someone. It sounded like the guy with the R on his shirt.

"I've got a kid here. He helped me back there." The guy said something, and she answered, "He looks like he could use some food and rest… and definitely a shower." There was more talking, and then she nodded, "Right." She closed the thing.

"Nice cell phone," I said, ignoring her comment about my needing help. I don't need any help from anyone.

"Come with me," she said. Then she turned and walked towards the ocean.

After seeing her angry, I sure as hell wasn't about to argue with her. I stayed close, and eventually we came to a place with a view of a decently large bay. In the middle was an island with a giant T on it.

"That," she said, "is the Titan's Tower… your temporary home."

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Well, how was that? I'm tired, so I'm gonna head to bed now… anyways, I want to know what you think of my story so far, so please review.

By the way, I know that Raven was a bit out of character, and I know that Robin magically changed back to normal after the battle. I'll explain what happened in the next chapter. I'll also get into the plot a bit more. So if I've gotten your attention, I'll try to update soon.

Once again, Review please. Flames are welcomed. After all, if you get only good comments, how're you supposed to advance as a writer?


	2. Author's Note I'm Back

So… I feel like I owe everyone an apology. After all, you were expecting me to write more, and I was going to… and then I didn't. I've been meaning to lay off them for a while, but I found a bunch of other people's stories that I've printed out/saved onto my comp (Raven A. Star and Taiba, this is largely directed towards you, lol) and it made me feel nostalgic… So I went back and was reading all the old favorites, and then I decided "Hey, I'll read the reviews people sent me", 'cause I haven't done that in a while…

Anyways, the point is, all of them made me remember how much joy I took in writing (even when I thought that people would hate my stuff), so I'm going to try starting up again. If you go to my bio, I'll have a list of what you all can expect to have finished, and I'll TRY to update at least once a week. Please keep in mind, quality is going to be more important than keeping up with that deadline, so if I don't update as consistently as I planned, I'll have another coming soon.

Anyways, sorry for those of you who saw the alert in your email and thought this was actually new… but I promise to get something up for you soon. Please, feel free to drop me an email or will both work). Talk to you later.

Kyle Monaco


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